Rep. Mike Coffman’s ideas to cut defense spending (3 letters)

A hardy congratulations to Rep. Mike Coffman for his insight and foresight in addressing the much-needed cuts to a hugely bloated Defense Department budget. Mr. Coffman, having seen the military industrial complex up close and personal, is in an excellent position to speak out against what too many others are afraid to, for fear of looking somehow unpatriotic.

It is especially refreshing for these views to come from a guy on the Republican side of the aisle, where just the mention of defense cuts is usually unheard of. We can only hope that both parties recognize the wisdom in what Coffman has to say, and that his own party doesn’t try to marginalize him, as it has with other truth-sayers, such as Chuck Hagel.

John Sullivan, Denver

This letter was published in the Feb. 22 edition.

I’m a civilian who doesn’t know much about our military, but I believe U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman does. I’ll defer to the congressman and grant his proposed military cuts are sound. However, Coffman fails to provide context to his plan. It’s disingenuous to not mention his reasonable plan cannot come to pass until the unreasonable obstruction of Republicans in Congress comes to an end.

No plan can be put into place to avoid the drastic sequestration cuts until Coffman and his caucus abandon their intractable stance on raising revenue.
It’s not certain if GOP sandbagging is in order to protect those who do not need protection or if the obstruction is out of the disdain the party shows President Obama. To no matter, it is self-serving for Coffman to offer his plan as a better solution than sequestration when his party’s destructive obstinance ensures it will never be implemented.

AJ Feldmann, Fort Collins

This letter was published in the Feb. 22 edition.

So Mike Coffman wants to cut defense spending, and he lists 15 suggestions on how to do it, and No. 14 was to spend less on military bands.

I was a drummer in various Air Force bands in the ’50s, during and after Korea. I served a year in Iceland in mud, snow, wind, cold and blizzards and lived in Quonset huts, and we played music many nights during the week for dances, concerts, talent shows, etc. We backed up Bob Hope when he put on a Christmas show, and many other USO shows there. I was also stationed at Lowry Air Force Base when President Eisenhower made that the summer White House, and we stood on the flight line waiting for his plane and other VIPs to land so we could play honors.

At that time the entertainment we provided for the troops and also the general public was appreciated. I guess times have changed and Coffman doesn’t feel the military bands serve any purpose anymore. I would certainly hate to see them go.

James Patterson, Brighton

This letter was published in the Feb. 22 edition.

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John Sullivan, I hate to break this to you, but Chuck Hagel isn’t a truth-sayer. He is the least qualified person to serve as Sec. of Defense. That one line ruined a letter that I was agreeing with wholeheartedly.

Then there is AJ Freedman, who had my laughing out loud when he implied that the Republicans were the obstructionists in Congress. Harry Reid led Democrats in the Senate make the Republicans look like posers. And why is the Republican stance on raising tax rates (he referred to it as raising revenue, but we all know what he means) any more an obstacle than the Presidents insisting that tax rates be raised? Why does the President insist we don’t have a spending problem when common sense says we do?

Freedman also suggests that Republicans will never let his idea pass. I want to see how many Dems sign up for it. If it has bi-partisan support and passes the House, what will happen when it goes to the Senate.

http://www.facebook.com/aj.feldmann AJ Feldmann

Obama won the election by 5 million votes in an electoral landslide. Democrats in the House received a million more votes than Republicans who retained the majority thanks to gerrymandering. To not say the GOP is obstructionist is to ignore Obama won the election by 5 million votes in an electoral landslide.
Democrats in the House received a million more votes than Republicans
who retained the majority thanks to gerrymandering.

thor

Reagan won in a landslide against Mondale. Obama won against Romney. On gerrymandering, I’m in district 7 and it went from being a toss-up to a solid district for Perlmutter. I have sucked it up, but it looks like you haven’t. Putting all of this on the Republicans is disingenuous. You wrote a partisan letter with nothing to back it up. Do the people of our country a favor and write your next letter to your Congressman and ask him to get busy serving his people and not an ideology.

AJ Feldmann

I have no proof that Obama won the election? I’ve nothing to back it up? Let me guess. You’re a conservative. Dude, get over it. Obama really did win re-election. Trust me.

thor

Of course he won the election. But not by a landslide, which is what you implied. You are wrong but you want to make a case in order to prop up a pitiful President. That’s the fact. Get over it.

AJ Feldmann

Your original notion that a re-elected incumbent with a majority in the
Senate can be an obstructionist means you do not understand the term. I will not try to explain the complex and abstract concept that majority rules in a democratic republic, therefore this is my last comment on this post. Thanks for the conversation though (no sarcasm intended).

thor

None taken. But the fact that you won’t reply tells me you can’t fashion a cogent argument.

Robtf777

The United States has one of the biggest nuclear arsenals in the world…..along with one of the biggest standing armies, navies, and air forces……along with one of the largest combined civilian law enforcement agencies (counting all the federal, state, county. and city agencies that carry a gun and a badge)……and the US spends one of the highest total amounts…..some claim THE HIGHEST BY FAR…..in total amount and as a % of all our spending……making…..us…..the US…..and The World…..”safe”……for FREE.

WHY…..WHY…..WHY….do US Taxpayers PAY the US to be the World’s Police Officer……when The World pays…..us….the US……either NOTHING or Very Little??????

It would be almost like the Taxpayers of Colorado……paying Colorado State Troopers……to patrol New York State……and California……..and North Dakota……and much of the rest of the US……at NO COST to ANYONE in those States. The people in those states might LOVE IT……getting “free law enforcement”……at no cost to them.

But it would SUCK…..SUCK…..to those of us in Colorado who PAY FOR IT.

The United States needs to figure out a way to BILL the United Nations and/or The World…….to REDUCE our Annual Deficits and National Debt…….or stop providing “free” services worldwide.

We,,,,,,simply…….cannot……financially……afford……it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah: The US does it for “national security.”

Great. that “national security” is helping to bring about the Economic Armageddon that will economically ruin the United States.

Being the World’s Police Department…….and all that “national security”…..won’t mean diddly squat……when the United States succumbs to the Financial and Economic Armageddon, Ruin, and Doomsday…….that years of $1++ Trillion Deficits and a Skyrocketing National Debt is leading us.

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